Cyclohexanone is commonly used in the production of ε-caprolactam, which is a raw material used in the production of nylon 6. Nylon 6 has many uses including as a raw material used in industry and manufacturing.
Cyclohexanone is typically produced industrially by the hydrogenation of phenol or the oxidation of cyclohexane. These typical processes produce the by-product cyclohexanol, leading to the formation of a mixture of cyclohexanone and cyclohexanol known as KA-oil.
Improvements in the foregoing processes are desired.